Evaluating Aeroponic Cloners as a Sustainable Propagation System
Conference Year
January 2022
Abstract
As traditional growing media, such as perlite and vermiculite, are becoming a limited resource and more difficult to obtain, options for more sustainable alternatives are being sought. This project looks to test the root production on cuttings of two woody plants (boxwood and holly) when propagated using a small scale aeroponic cloner versus in a traditional perlite and vermiculite medium. If the cloners prove to be as effective as traditional media, they could become a keystone of UVM greenhouse sustainability, and be utilized by PSS faculty and students by working with equipment that is at the forefront of the industry.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Mark Starrett
Student Collaborators
Connor Kepcher
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Food Systems
Primary Research Category
Food & Environment Studies
Secondary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Evaluating Aeroponic Cloners as a Sustainable Propagation System
As traditional growing media, such as perlite and vermiculite, are becoming a limited resource and more difficult to obtain, options for more sustainable alternatives are being sought. This project looks to test the root production on cuttings of two woody plants (boxwood and holly) when propagated using a small scale aeroponic cloner versus in a traditional perlite and vermiculite medium. If the cloners prove to be as effective as traditional media, they could become a keystone of UVM greenhouse sustainability, and be utilized by PSS faculty and students by working with equipment that is at the forefront of the industry.